Saginaw Mayor Joyce J. Seals and those influenced by the late Lawrence H. McKinney will attend a dedication at 10 a.m. Saturday to rename the northern section of Veterans Memorial Park, at Holland and South 20th in the city, in honor of the man who looked after the site for 40 years. McKinney died in February 2008.

The event includes unveiling a $5,000, 6-foot-tall, triangular-shaped granite rock monument bearing the word "Coach," McKinney's name and his favorite statement: "Praise the Lord."

"He would be happy to see it," said Brian Pruitt, the former Central Michigan University All-American running back for whom McKinney was a mentor. "He was never a guy who was about awards, but at the same time, he would appreciate that people remember what he did and what he stood for."

Pruitt spearheaded the renaming effort weeks after McKinney's death. The City Council approved the change in December.

"We want to do our due diligence to finish strong because that's what Lawrence taught us," Pruitt said. "We finally got it done, and we want to celebrate the victory."